Re: [Flexradio] RF Problems with a Flex 5000
Hi All Just though I would add my two cents (pence) I have had exactly the same experience from the front mic socket, on 20m and above RF problems using the rear one no problems I resolved it by making a mic extetntion lead up and decoupling the mic with a couple of .1uf caps seems to have resolved the issue the only thing that makes me a little suspicious is that maybe these components may have been missed off. Ian G0CTO -Original Message- From: flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz [mailto:flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz] On Behalf Of J D Lambright Sent: 11 October 2010 03:54 To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Cc: jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com; isellbo...@aol.com Subject: [Flexradio] RF Problems with a Flex 5000 A friend (KC5PD) and I (KF5U) each purchased a Flex 5000A on the same order. The radios were identical from the factory, shipped at the same time, and they both included the ATU and the 2nd receiver. We are both running PSDR v1.18.6. From the beginning, KC5PD has been having a serious RFI problem with his rig, while I have not had even a single RFI problem with mine. He is using a Heil mic connected thru the front of the F5000, while I am using a Heil PR-781 mic connected to the balanced input on the back of my Flex. As an experiment, KC5PD brought his F5000 to my shack today so we could run some tests. First, we connected his mic through the front input on my rig. He had SSB QSO's on 17m and 20m with several hams with no RFI problems whatsoever. Then we simply disconnected my F5000 and connected his F5000 in its place. Nothing was moved. Except for replacing my F5000 with his, everything else remained identical - same antennas (cubical quad), same power supply, same computer, same firewire cable, same speaker cable, etc. Same everything. He even sat in my chair!! In trying to talk with the hams we did previously, KC5PD immediately had very serious RFI problems, where we had no RFI problems minutes earlier using my F5000 with the same mic connected to the front. We then connected my mic to the balanced I/P on KC5PD's F5000, and the RFI problems disappeared. In summary, with both rigs at my QTH: 1. I have no RFI problems on my rig whether I use the balanced I/P with my mic or the front mic connector with KC5PD's mic. 2. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has serious RFI problems with the mic connected through the front I/P. 3. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has no RFI problems with the mic connected via the balanced I/P. Thus, there is some sort of significant RFI problem with KC5PD's F5000 when he uses the front mic input. In an identical configuration using his mic and his mic cable, I have no such problem. (His mic cable has been properly grounded per Dudley's and Heil's recommendation.) As an interesting side note, the serial # on his rig bears absolutely no relation whatsoever to the serial # on my rig, even though they were on the same order and were shipped together. I don't know what this means, but it seems odd. Any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated, as KC5PD has about exhausted his "Flexibility" in trying to get a resolution to this problem. J D Lambright - KF5U Law Offices of J D Lambright Conroe Tower, Suite 450 300 W. Davis Conroe, Texas 77301 Ph: 936-539-3499 Fax: 936-539-1799 E-mail: jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com www.the-law-offices.com ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] RF Problems with a Flex 5000
Dudley, Thanks for the prompt reply. If you recall, I met you and Bob at the Belton Hamfest last weekend. PD and I were listening on the Flex net today, but you are too close to us for a QSO on 20 meters. We tried to relay via one of the guys you were talking to so he could have you call us on the phone, but you were apparently away from your rig at that time. As you can tell from my note below, I have no RFI problem with mine at all, even when I turn on my Drake L7 amp. If you simply disconnect my rig and put PD's in its place, the RFI problems make his rig unusable, even barefoot. Flex just shipped it back to him a few days ago, but unfortunately the problem is still the same. I think our experiments today clearly show that the problem is in his F5000, and it shows up when the mic is connected via the front panel. The exact same mic and mic cable work great on mine when connected in the same fashion. J D Lambright Law Offices of J D Lambright Conroe Tower, Suite 450 300 W. Davis Conroe, Texas 77301 Ph: 936-539-3499 Fax: 936-539-1799 E-mail: jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com www.the-law-offices.com From: dud...@flex-radio.com [mailto:dud...@flex-radio.com] On Behalf Of FlexRadio Support, Dudley Hurry Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 11:37 PM To: jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz; isellbo...@aol.com Subject: Re: [Flexradio] RF Problems with a Flex 5000 JD, Sounds like some good diagnostic work going on here.. Many times RF, is in the shack and it can cause a wide variety of issues, and sometimes this is really hard to describe to another party, unless they are hearing it themselves. Sometimes it's just low rumbles, to high pitched whines, to echos , or maybe noise burst, and this can vary band to band.. Have PD call me sometime tomorrow, we'll get it worked out, kind of sounds like Ed and maybe Gerald need to dig into it. So you know, there is a small PC board soldered to the rear of the front mic connector that has some bypassing on it, it has not given any issue, but maybe a problem here, not sure until Ed gets to look at it on the bench.. 73, Dudley WA5QPZ FlexRadio Systems (512) 250-8595, Option 2 Email: dud...@flex-radio.com Web: www.flex-radio.com "Tune in excitement!" T On Sun, Oct 10, 2010 at 9:54 PM, J D Lambright wrote: A friend (KC5PD) and I (KF5U) each purchased a Flex 5000A on the same order. The radios were identical from the factory, shipped at the same time, and they both included the ATU and the 2nd receiver. We are both running PSDR v1.18.6. From the beginning, KC5PD has been having a serious RFI problem with his rig, while I have not had even a single RFI problem with mine. He is using a Heil mic connected thru the front of the F5000, while I am using a Heil PR-781 mic connected to the balanced input on the back of my Flex. As an experiment, KC5PD brought his F5000 to my shack today so we could run some tests. First, we connected his mic through the front input on my rig. He had SSB QSO's on 17m and 20m with several hams with no RFI problems whatsoever. Then we simply disconnected my F5000 and connected his F5000 in its place. Nothing was moved. Except for replacing my F5000 with his, everything else remained identical - same antennas (cubical quad), same power supply, same computer, same firewire cable, same speaker cable, etc. Same everything. He even sat in my chair!! In trying to talk with the hams we did previously, KC5PD immediately had very serious RFI problems, where we had no RFI problems minutes earlier using my F5000 with the same mic connected to the front. We then connected my mic to the balanced I/P on KC5PD's F5000, and the RFI problems disappeared. In summary, with both rigs at my QTH: 1. I have no RFI problems on my rig whether I use the balanced I/P with my mic or the front mic connector with KC5PD's mic. 2. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has serious RFI problems with the mic connected through the front I/P. 3. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has no RFI problems with the mic connected via the balanced I/P. Thus, there is some sort of significant RFI problem with KC5PD's F5000 when he uses the front mic input. In an identical configuration using his mic and his mic cable, I have no such problem. (His mic cable has been properly grounded per Dudley's and Heil's recommendation.) As an interesting side note, the serial # on his rig bears absolutely no relation whatsoever to the serial # on my rig, even though they were on the same order and were shipped together. I don't know what this means, but it seems odd. Any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated, as KC5PD has about exhausted his "Flexibility" in trying to get a resolution to this problem. J D Lambright - KF5U Law Offices of J D Lambright Conroe Tower, Suite 450 300 W. Davis Conroe, Texas 77301 Ph: 93
Re: [Flexradio] RF Problems with a Flex 5000
JD, Sounds like some good diagnostic work going on here.. Many times RF, is in the shack and it can cause a wide variety of issues, and sometimes this is really hard to describe to another party, unless they are hearing it themselves. Sometimes it's just low rumbles, to high pitched whines, to echos , or maybe noise burst, and this can vary band to band.. Have PD call me sometime tomorrow, we'll get it worked out, kind of sounds like Ed and maybe Gerald need to dig into it. So you know, there is a small PC board soldered to the rear of the front mic connector that has some bypassing on it, it has not given any issue, but maybe a problem here, not sure until Ed gets to look at it on the bench.. 73, Dudley WA5QPZ FlexRadio Systems (512) 250-8595, Option 2 Email: dud...@flex-radio.com Web: www.flex-radio.com "Tune in excitement!" ™ On Sun, Oct 10, 2010 at 9:54 PM, J D Lambright < jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com> wrote: > A friend (KC5PD) and I (KF5U) each purchased a Flex 5000A on the same > order. > The radios were identical from the factory, shipped at the same time, and > they both included the ATU and the 2nd receiver. We are both running PSDR > v1.18.6. From the beginning, KC5PD has been having a serious RFI problem > with his rig, while I have not had even a single RFI problem with mine. He > is using a Heil mic connected thru the front of the F5000, while I am using > a Heil PR-781 mic connected to the balanced input on the back of my Flex. > > As an experiment, KC5PD brought his F5000 to my shack today so we could run > some tests. First, we connected his mic through the front input on my rig. > He had SSB QSO's on 17m and 20m with several hams with no RFI problems > whatsoever. > > Then we simply disconnected my F5000 and connected his F5000 in its place. > Nothing was moved. Except for replacing my F5000 with his, everything else > remained identical - same antennas (cubical quad), same power supply, same > computer, same firewire cable, same speaker cable, etc. Same everything. > He even sat in my chair!! In trying to talk with the hams we did > previously, KC5PD immediately had very serious RFI problems, where we had > no > RFI problems minutes earlier using my F5000 with the same mic connected to > the front. > > We then connected my mic to the balanced I/P on KC5PD's F5000, and the RFI > problems disappeared. > > In summary, with both rigs at my QTH: > > 1. I have no RFI problems on my rig whether I use the balanced I/P with > my mic or the front mic connector with KC5PD's mic. > 2. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has serious RFI problems with the > mic connected through the front I/P. > 3. With KC5PD's F5000 at my shack, he has no RFI problems with the mic > connected via the balanced I/P. > > Thus, there is some sort of significant RFI problem with KC5PD's F5000 when > he uses the front mic input. In an identical configuration using his mic > and his mic cable, I have no such problem. (His mic cable has been > properly > grounded per Dudley's and Heil's recommendation.) > > As an interesting side note, the serial # on his rig bears absolutely no > relation whatsoever to the serial # on my rig, even though they were on the > same order and were shipped together. I don't know what this means, but it > seems odd. > > Any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated, as KC5PD has about > exhausted his "Flexibility" in trying to get a resolution to this problem. > > J D Lambright - KF5U > > Law Offices of J D Lambright > Conroe Tower, Suite 450 > 300 W. Davis > Conroe, Texas 77301 > > Ph: 936-539-3499 > Fax: 936-539-1799 > E-mail: jdlambri...@the-law-offices.com > www.the-law-offices.com > > ___ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/ > ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
